1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coaxial electrical connector and a coaxial electrical connector device in which an annular contact, which is formed to have an annular shape, is configured to be elastically displaced via slits upon mating of an opposing connector.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, in various electric devices, electrically connecting various signal transmission media such as thin coaxial cables and flexible wiring boards to printed wiring boards or electrically connecting a pair of wiring boards to each other (board to board) by using a pair of electrical connectors, which are configured to be able to be mated and connected with each other, has been widely carried out. As the pair of electrical connector as described above, for example, a plug connector (first connector), to which a signal transmission medium or a wiring board is coupled, and a receptacle connector (second connector), which is mounted on a wiring board, are used as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-063372. The electrical connection is configured to be established when the plug connector is mated with the receptacle connector.
As an electrical connector used in the connection of the above described pair of wiring boards (board to board), a coaxial electrical connector in which a signal contact and a ground contact are concentrically disposed is known. In the coaxial electrical connector, an annular contact in which slits (ruptured parts) are partially provided in the circumferential direction thereof is used, and an opposing connector is configured to be mated or removed through an annular opening of the annular contact. The mating or removal of the opposing connector in that process is carried out along the axial direction of the annular opening. In that process, elastic displacement occurs so as to expand the intervals between the slits (ruptured parts) of the annular contact, the outer diameter of the annular contact is increased as a result. At the point when the mating operation or the removing operation is completed, the annular contact is restored to the original position, thereby maintaining the connectors in a mated state or a releases state.
In this process, the annular contact has a mating guiding function of maintaining the opposing connector in an appropriate position until the mating or removal is completed after the opposing connector abuts the annular contact. However, in the conventional coaxial electrical connector, the slits are provided as the ruptured parts in the annular contact as described above. Therefore, there is a tendency that the overall rigidity of the annular contact is reduced. For example, when the opposing connector is mated or removed in a direction inclined in an axial direction with respect to the annular opening of the annular contact, twisting deformation may be generated in the annular contact. As a result, the mating guiding function of the annular contact with respect to the opposing connector is lowered, smooth mating or removing operation cannot be carried out, or connector damage is caused in some cases. Particularly, when a board is to be connected to a board with the electrical connector, the opposing connector of mating is sometimes covered with the board and cannot be visually checked; therefore, the mating guiding function of the annular contact is important.
We disclose JP 2004-063372 (A) as a prior art that is considered to represent the most relevant state of the art.